Nobel Winner Backs US Pressure on Caracas.
In an interview with CBS, the Venezuelan opposition leader acknowledged that the pressure on Venezuela can be difficult for the people of the country, calling his country’s people “poor.”
The Nobel Peace Prize winner and opponent of the Caracas government once again praised US President Donald Trump’s efforts to oust Nicolas Maduro, repeating his previous positions.
Machado, stating that he fully supports Trump’s strategy, claimed: “We, the Venezuelan people, are very grateful to him (Trump) and his government, because I believe that he is a champion of freedom in this hemisphere.”
He added: “We have been looking for this (pressure on the Maduro government) for years and it has finally happened. That is why I believe that the days of the regime (the government in Caracas) are numbered.”
According to the report, Machado secretly left Venezuela last week for Norway for the first time since 2023 to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and see his daughter.
He arrived in Oslo hours after the official ceremony, and his daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in his place. Machado claims to have been in hiding since early last winter.
The Trump administration has ramped up pressure on Venezuela in recent weeks, destroying several suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean, sending more troops to the region, and increasing the reward for Maduro’s capture to $50 million.
Trump has also said he may strike ground targets in Venezuela.
“I don’t know. Of course, I wouldn’t say so if I knew. We are not involved, and we will not interfere in the security policies of another country,” Machado said when asked about Trump’s plans for ground strikes. The Venezuelan opposition figure had won a primary to run against Maduro in the 2024 presidential election. However, he was barred from running, and the nomination ultimately fell to Edmundo Gonzalez.
Maduro won the controversial election, although the administration of former US President Joe Biden and other foreign observers have questioned its legitimacy.
Machado announced in mid-autumn, after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, that he would dedicate it to Trump.
He argued that while tougher sanctions and similar future attempts to seize oil tankers could hurt Venezuelans, these punitive measures serve their long-term interests.